The overall objective of this 2-day conference is to explore and advance the frontiers of research in microcirculation. This will be accomplished through identifying and integrating fundamental regulatory processes that underlie microvascular function with the purpose of advancing clinical practice and patient care. There are four general themes to the conference with an entire morning or afternoon dedicated to each theme. Day 1 will encompass Plasticity (a.m.) and Inflammation (p.m.). Day 2 will encompass Cell Signaling (a.m.) and Intercellular Communication (p.m.). A 2-hour symposium and 1.5-hour poster session are dedicated to each theme, with additional free time for continuing poster discussions as well as individual and small group meetings. Symposia and poster sessions are scheduled in series so that all participants can attend each session. Each symposium has 2 invited keynote speakers and 4 oral presentations selected from complementary submitted abstracts. Underlying each theme is the aim to explore how regulatory processes in the microcirculation contribute to and/or are altered during such pathophysiological states as cancer, inflammation and ischemia. Specific objectives of the conference include: 1) Invigorate research in microcirculation through promoting interactions among scientists and physicians whose work has direct relevance to microcirculation;2) Stimulate interest in studying the microcirculation in early career scientists by highlighting the contributions of young scientists - particularly women - who have been invited as keynote speakers and by giving special attention to selecting abstracts for oral presentation by trainees;3) Create a meeting environment that fosters interpersonal interactions by limiting its size and providing a venue with numerous opportunities for informal discussions between speakers, attendees and trainees - especially women and minorities;4) Highlight disease processes where disruption of the microcirculation is particularly evident in order to promote interest in areas of research most relevant to clinical practice. In this era of translational research, it is essential that such new insight be integrated into the understanding, treatment and prevention of disease. In a reciprocal manner, it is critical that researchers who study all aspects of the microcirculation be made aware of the information most needed by physicians to most effectively improve patient care. This meeting is the first to be planned specifically for building bridges between basic research in microcirculation and the application of this knowledge in clinical settings. (End of Abstract)